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By 2016, anything associated with the Top Dawg Entertainment/Black
Hippy crew was considered "highly anticipated" by the hip-hop
faithful, but no one in the posse had come close to the crossover
success of superstar MC Kendrick Lamar. Team member Schoolboy Q was
the crown prince, although his mix of gangsta rap and left-field
production had failed to make him a household name, something The
Blank Face LP holds dear. This sprawling, cumbersome, and often
psychedelic effort feels like a glorious clearing house for the
diverse and deep rapper, offering giant, cinematic, and challenging
efforts like the Anderson Paak-featuring title track and the
opening epic, "Torch," then shifting gear and getting flippant with
oddball throwaways like the ultra-nasty "Studio" sequel called
"Overtime." "Overtime" at least goes off-the-charts, sounding as if
R&B porno artist Blowfly was mimicking R. Kelly's or guest
vocalist Miguel's sexy styles, and while the beat Tyler, the
Creator crafts for "Big Body" could be his silliest to date, Tha
Dogg Pound still act if it's prime strip club stuff, and it's as
fascinating to hear as it is odd. If "By Any Means" sounds like an
important anthem for a year when race relations are at a new low,
it begins "You can f**k my b*tch/You can have my ho" and goes more
gutter from there, and while that makes it arguably disposable
compared to the proud anthem "Ride Out" or the wonderful rumination
called "Kno You Wrong," this 17-track, almost-mixtape is no slog on
first listen. Fully-formed stunners like the Jadakiss feature
"Groovy Tony/Eddie Kane" and "Tookie Knows II" are cold-blooded
classics, and even if return visits require some dropped cuts,
there's an awesome, tight album hiding inside this set of tracks, a
set where the B-sides sneak in. As a release born firmly in the age
of streaming, playlists, and The Life of Pablo, it's a sprawling
album to argue about and examine. In Schoolboy Q's discography,
it's the experimental LP with an attitude, and a giant Magical
Mystery Tour that will dazzle his fans. ~ David Jeffries